Floor and process of making the same



v 1,555,913 0(1- 6, 1925" NG I l lli r liili Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

FLOOR AND PROCESS Application filed August To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ANsEL C. DENNING,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnson City, New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Floors and Processes of Making the Same, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

his invention relates to floors or pavements and has for its general object to effect improvements both in fioor or pavement construction, in materials employed in floor and pavement construction and in processes of assembling and laying fioors or pavements. The invention is herein shown as embodied in a building floor but it will be understood that in many of its aspects the invention is applicable to pavements as well as to floors and that the invention is not restricted to the embodiment or uses herein specifically illustrated and described.

A particular object of the invention is a fioor construction in which compositions of vegetable or animal fibre or mixtures of such fibres may conveniently be utilized in such manner as to obtain the greatest benefit from the peculiar characteristics of such compositions with respect to durability,

elasticity, non-conductivity of heat and electricity, sound deaden-ing qualities, resistance to permanent distortion, etc.

he invention aims particularly to provide a Hoor construction suitable for a great variety of uses but particularly adapted to fioors subjected to extremely heavy service conditions, such as factory iioors, station fioors, ship decks, docks, etc. The invention aims not only to provide a floor having high wear-resisting qualities to meet heavy service 'conditions such as trucking of loads thereover, but also to provide a fioor that will resist deterioration due t0 exposurev to unusual atmospheric conditions or to marked changes in temperature or to injury from the spilling thereon of various liquids or solids used in or resulting from manufacturing or other operations, such as oils, acids, dust, etc. I

An important feature of the invention is the treatment of a composition of vegetable or animal fibre or a mixture of such fibres in such manner as directly to increase the wear-resisting capacity of these fibres while 0F MAKING THE SAME.

9, 1922. Serial No. 580,654.

at the same time indirectly increasing the Vdurability of the fibres by protecting them from moisturel and other elements tending to effect a disintegration of the fibres. A further important feature of the invention is the assembling and laying of the floor in such manner as to prevent distortion from the various changes in the surrounding atmospheric conditions to which it may be subjected.

The invention aims particularly to provide a Hoor having all of the desirable characteristics of the well-known mastic floors whlle overcoming the various objections tol such floors, such as their tendency to permanent displacement of their parts when subj ected to pressure or marked changesyin temperature.

Other objects and important features of the invention will appear from the following description and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying draw` ings in which- Fig. l shows the manner of assembling the strips of fibrous material, of which the floor of the present invention is formed,

jupon rods;

Fig. 2 shows a floor block in assembled condition before treatment with the binder and waterproofing compound;

Fig. 3 shows one manner of treating the blocks to effect the impregnation with the binder and waterproofing material;

Fig. 4 shows the block after treatment;

Fig. 5 is a detail section of a completed block; t f

Fig. 6 illustrates the manner of laying a block u on. a waterproofing cement; and

Fig. shows the manner of laying a floor with the blocks in staggered relation.

As hereinabove suggested, the fioor or pavement of the present invention is formed of fibrous material, preferably of artificial compositions or mixtures of animal or vegetable fibres or both, and in the preferred form of the present invention the fibrous material is made into a sheet of the desired thickness and density and of a composition having in itself suitable wear-resisting properties, the material being conveniently treated and formed into the sheet by ordinary paper making machinery, such as a beating. engine which prepares theffibrous treatment of the block. lultimate block the waterproofing and v expansion of material for formation into a sheet upon a cylinder wet machine.

After the formation of the sheet, strips 2 ofa width substantially equal to the desired the strips are assembled. in abutting relation face to face. This operation may readily be performed in a machine which simultaneously cuts the. strips and punches the. holes and then drops"`them upon the rods, the holes 4 being in registering relation to the rods 6 so that the strips are automatically threaded upon the rods.

The-number of rods used to retain the strips in proper assembled relation to each other may vary with the dimensions of the block to be formeda suitable number of rods for a block 28'/ square being four, as shown in the drawingsn As above suggested the composition of the fibre sheet from which the strips 2 are formed may vary considerably according to the requirements of the floor to be constructed therefrom and in the case of the present invention it is important that the compos'tion binding material with which it is treated after assembling., A suitable composition which has given satisfactory service in floors for factory use is one in which about 20%,of chrome leather lhas vbeen combined with vmixed papers, treated in a vbeating engine and then formed into a sheet upon a cylinder wet machine after the manner of paper making.

In forming a .dimensions hereinabove given illustration, provision is made for a slight the material in the subsequent For example, if the be substantially 28" square the'strips 2 are assembled upon rods substantially 28" long until they approach to within about 2" of the end of the rods, when the ends of the rods are squeezed to provide iiattened-and widened retaining portions 8 and the block thus formed is then immersed kin a bath 10 of hot coal tar or other suitable bituminous or hydrocarbon waterproofing and binding material, the coal tar'being preferably maintained at a temperature of about 280 F. to insure rapid impregnation of the material and also the driving out of any moisture that may be conby way of is' to tained therein to prevent subsequent shrinking.

7This impregnation of the bre by the coal tar results in a slight thickenin individual strips thusccausing the mansion increased so that it is be such as readily to take up h block of a composition similar to that hereinabove set' forth and of the f of the of the block 4lengthwise of the rods to be substantially equal to the width of the block, the two inches allowed in the assembling of the, strips for expansion being usually substantially taken g up. I

It will be noted that the loose assembling of the strips 2 upon the rod 6 facilitates the treatmentwith the waterproofing and binding composition'and permits the impregnation of the individual strips from all faces, including both ends, to substantial depths, the degree of penetration depending somewhat upon the length of time that the block is maintained in the bath.l

Preferably, after the assembling of the strips yupon the rods and before the immersion of the block in the waterproofing and binding composition, that face of the block which is to be exposed in the finished l floor is smoothed off upon a roller or other abrading device to give it an even and well finished surface, this operation not interfering in any way with the capacity of this face to take upvthe waterproofing and binding material.

The impregnation with the hot coal tar or other suitable waterproofing and binding material preferably extends to a depth from the exposed face of the .floor as great as would be reached by the ultimate wear of the Hoor. It has been found in lpractice that strips 2 in thickness and cut in widths to blocks of substantially Fys threaded upon rods 6 of from fg to 1,41 in diameter produce floors which withstand-the heavyservice conditions of factory use, as illustrated, for example, by floors of this description that have met the heavy service conditions of' a large chemical tannery.

In laying a floor made up of blocks of the general construction and treated in the manner of the blocks hereinabove described, it has been found in practice that a very satisfactory method is to lay the blocks in hot pitch. In practice, the section of the licor form to be laid is first mopped over withy the hot the oors is that the underside of the floor is waterproofed and is also protected from the liability to working thereunder of dust or other particles which frequently work under ordmary doors and cause them to rise up-or buckle in laces. It has been found in practice that it of this composition with very much lateral suitable sanding cut from a sheet approximately 1/8 in thickness is desirable not to-lay floors .130

12 while it is stll hot and sticky and are '.115

. When thus laid, it isv tially pressure, that is, pressure transverse to the strips, thus avoiding the danger of distor'- tion of the floor from changes in Atemperature. Y

A floor of the composition and laid in the manner of the Hoor hereinabove described or even a floor of this composition laid in the usual manner by driving staples over the rods 6, has substantially all of the advantages of mastic floors, such as their Waterproof and sound-deadening qualities, non-conductivity of heat and electricity and durability, and in addition it' has an elasticity which mastic floors do not have and resists very much better the tendency of heavy loads to displace its component parts. In fact, in actual practice loads up to tivo tons or more which have been carried over these floors on the ordina-ry elevating trucks now in general use in factories have made substantially no impression upon the floors.l

'What I claim as new isl. The process of making flooring which consists in assembling upon rods in loose abutting relation, edge up, strips. of fibrous sheet material and then immersing the flooring block thus formed in a liquid Waterproofing compound said strips from all 2. The process of making flooring Which consists in assembling abutting relation, edge sheet material andv then ing block thus formed in waterproofing hydrocarbon compound.

he process of making a flooring block Which consists in cutting from sheet mateup, strips of fibrous dipping the floora hot bath of a t-he block, punching holes 1n said strips, threading said strips upon rods and confining them loosely thereon and then immersing the block thus formed in a hot coal tar bat 4. The process of making `fiooring Which consists in assembling upon rods in loose abutting relation, edge up, strips of fibrous sheet material, confining said striv s upon said rods with provision for lateralD eXpansion, and then immersing the flooring block thus formed in a hot bath of a bituminous binder and Waterproofing` material adapted` to impregnate said strips from all faces, and to effect an expansion thereof substantially sufficient to fill said rods between the confining ends thereof.

he process of making a fiooring block from sheet matewhich consists in cutting rial strips of a Width substantially eorresponding to the desired thickness of the block and of a length corresponding substanto the desired Widthl of the block, punching holes in said strips, threading said strips upon rods and confining them loosely threaded and which maintain upon rods in loose -relation edge up, said thereon, sanding or otherwise smoothing one face of said block and then immersing the block thus formed in a hot bath of a Waterproofing hydrocarbon compound.

6. A fioorlng block comprising strips of fibrous sheet material standing in abutting relation, edge up, rods passing through and maintaining said strips substantially in predetermined relation to each other, said strips being otherwise unconnected and beingimpregnated with a hydrocarbon Waterproofing compound.

7. -Flooring comprising strips of fibrous sheet material, of substantial density and thickness, standing in abutting relation edge up, rods upon Which said strips are loosely them substanv 1n predetermined relation to each being otherwise unconnected and being' impregnated to a substantial depth from all surfaces with a hydrocarbon Waterproofing compound.

8. Flooring comprising strips of fibrous sheet material, of 'substantial density and thickness, standing in abutting relation edge up, rods upon which said strips are loosely threaded and which maintain the exposed edges of said strips substantially in predetermined relation to each other, said strips being impregnated With coal tar.

9. A flooring block comprising strips of fibrous sheet material impregnated from all faces With a Waterproofing composition and standing in abutting relation edge up but unconnected, and rods passing freely through said strips and substantially confining them strip plane.

l0. A flooring block comprising strips of fibrous sheet material standing in abutting relation edge up and having all faces im- Waterprooling composition pregnated with a to substantial depths 'fromsaid faces, and

said strips and maintially 'substantial -transverse pressure upon said rods but being otherwise unconnected with each other.

1.1. 'A flooring block comprising strips of fibrous sheet material standing in abutting nated from all faces With a composition acting both as a binder and as Waterproofing, and rods passing through said strips, maintaining them substantially in abutting relation and confining them against substantial vertical displacement in the floor, said strips being otherwise unconnected.

l2. A material for flooring comprising stripsof a Width corresponding substantially to the desired thickness of the floor, cut from a sheet composed of chrome leather and mixed papers in proportions approximating l to 4 and impregnated from all faces to against displacement in theA strips being impreg substantial depths with a combined binder and Waterproofing compound.

13. A material for flooring comprising strips of a Width corresponding substantially to the desired thickness of the Hoor, cut from al sheet composed of chrome leather and mixed papers in proportions approximating l to l and impregnated J)from all faces to substantial depths with a bituminous binder and Waterproofing material.

14. A floor comprising individual strips of fibrous sheet material standing 1n abutting relation edge up and impregnated from all faces with a bituminous binder and waterproofing material, said strips being loosely confined upon rods holding thein t against substantial relative displacement 1n the strip plane,

mesma bituminous binder and Waterproofing material and attached to the underioor by a Wa-v `j density and thickness, standing in abutting relation edge up and individually impregnated 1from all faces with a bituminous binder and Waterproofing material, and A'a' the underiloor Waterproof adhesive covering and by which said fibrous Hoor is to the underfloor."i

signed at Johnson 'city this and day of attached August 1922. c

o ANsEL o. DENNING. 

